35 omni-buses fined for overcharging passengers; one impounded in city
In view of the Independence Day celebrations, the State Transport Department operated special buses from the city to various parts of the State.
A senior official of the South zone of the Joint Transport Commissioner said even as the special buses were announced by the State Transport Undertakings (STUs), people started posting complaints on social media and to the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) about the bus operators planning to charge extra fares on the eve of Independence Day.
A team of RTOs from Meenambakkam, Tambaram, and Chengalpattu, along with motor vehicle inspectors (MVIs) and other officials, inspected more than 150 omni-buses at the Kilambakkam bus terminus on Thursday night. The surprise inspection was planned at night as omni buses are usually operated in large numbers at night, an official said.
During the inspection, in addition to penalising omni-buses that overcharged passengers, the officials also found vehicles that had evaded road tax and those that transported heavy luggage on the roof.
A senior official of the Meenambakkam RTO said fines totalling ₹1,26,000 were imposed on 18 vehicles, and one bus was even impounded. A senior official of the Meenambakkam RTO said though no fare rates had been fixed, the officials enquired with the passengers who had booked seats in the omni-buses – which are permitted to operate as contract carriers – to compare the prices with those charged during their previous rides, and the fares charged on Friday. The officials made the omni-bus operators refund the extra amount charged.
In the north zone, RTOs, along with MVIs, carried out an inspection of omni-bus terminals in Koyambedu and Madhavaram. At the Porur and Red Hills toll plazas, 17 buses were found to overcharge passengers. A fine of nearly ₹3 lakh was collected from the offenders. Overall, 35 buses were fined.
The State Transport Department operated a total of 3,252 buses during the three days, starting from August 13 to 15, with 1,160 special buses operated along with 2,092 regular buses. More than 3 lakh passengers were transported in these buses.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
7-year-old girl among three children drowned to death in separate incidents in Tiruchy, Ariyalur
TIRUCHY: A seven-year-old girl was among three children who died in separate drowning incidents in Tiruchy and Ariyalur districts on Friday. In one incident in Tiruchy, R Arumairaj (51) of N Kuttapattu in Srirangam taluk along with his wife and daughter A Akshitha (7) on Friday evening headed to the Kattalai canal to bathe and wash clothes. While her parents were engaged in washing clothes, Akshitha, who was bathing, suddenly went missing. Her parents subsequently spotted her in the water body following which she was taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH). Akshitha, however, was declared brought dead, sources said. The Ramji Nagar police have registered a case. In another incident, K Ilaiya Magizhan (13) of the BHEL township in Kailasapuram was staying at his uncle's house. On Friday morning, the Class 7 student attended Independence Day celebrations at school. After the event, he along with his friends headed to a pond to bathe, where he, however, ventured into the deeper portion and drowned, sources said.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Two siblings found dead inside parked car in Patna's Indrapuri, family alleges foul play
Two minor siblings who had gone missing after leaving for tuition classes were found dead inside a parked car in Patna's Indrapuri locality Thursday evening, with the family suspecting foul play. The victims — a 7-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother — had left home around 12:30 pm on Independence Day to attend tuition at a nearby teacher's residence. When the children failed to return, their mother Kiran Devi called the teacher around 4 pm and was informed that they had already left for home. The search that began immediately continued for nearly three hours. Around 7 pm, the children were discovered unconscious on the back seat of a silver Hyundai Santro with an Uttarakhand registration, parked barely 100-200 metres from their residence. The vehicle was reportedly lying abandoned in the parking lot of a nearby apartment building. Police reached the spot after receiving a 112-call regarding two children found in 'suspicious condition'. 'The girl was still breathing when they were found. Both were rushed to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival,' said City SP (Central) Diksha. While authorities suspect that the children could have died of suffocation, the mother has alleged her daughter had been strangled and her son bore burn marks. She accused the tuition teacher of foul play. The police sources, however claim no signs of assault were found on preliminary examination. 'The teacher has been questioned and nothing suspicious has emerged so far,' one officer said. Meanwhile, police have seized the car — allegedly abandoned — and a forensic team has collected evidence. CCTV footage shows the children leaving the elderly tutor's home alone. The bodies were sent to their native village in Samastipur for last rites. Police await a postmortem report to ascertain the cause of death. Further investigation is underway.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab CM: Cops to get ₹1.2 lakh for 1-kg heroin seizure from next year
The cops performing well in the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (anti-drug war) campaign will receive monetary reward, chief minister Bhagwant Mann has said while claiming that the narcotics supply network has been on its last legs. During his Independence Day speech in Faridkot, he said, 'It has been decided that from March 1, 2026, the police personnel recovering 1-kg heroin will get a cash reward of ₹1.2 lakh.' Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann (PTI file) Asserting that Pakistan has been the source of the drugs reaching the state, he said the government has demolished houses built using drug money, jailed smugglers and curbed the open sale of drugs. 'Punjab is the first state in the country to have its own anti-drone system which will destroy any flying object coming from the other side of the border. For the first time, an anti-drug syllabus has been introduced in the schools of the state to make students aware of the scourge of drugs,' he added. The CM offered prayers at Tilla Baba Sheikh Farid. Mann highlighted that Punjab has topped the National Achievement Survey 2025 in all subjects for the first time since 2017. 'The government school students are clearing JEE and NEET, and Punjab-origin players captain the national football, basketball, women's cricket and men's hockey teams,' he said. He lauded the academic achievements of girls, pointing out that the Class 8 and Class 10 toppers — Navjot Kaur and Akshnoor Kaur — of 2025 hailed from Faridkot.
